


Come back with me

by luzial



Series: Teia x Viago [2]
Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Book: Dragon Age - Tevinter Nights, Dragon Age Drunk Writing Circle, F/M, One Shot, Romance, Tumblr Prompt, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-19
Updated: 2020-12-19
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:55:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 871
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28162008
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/luzial/pseuds/luzial
Summary: Teia & Viago find that saying "goodnight" is a lot harder than it really should be.
Relationships: Andarateia Cantori/Viago de Riva
Series: Teia x Viago [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2063082
Comments: 2
Kudos: 1





	Come back with me

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt from [@tevivinter](https://archiveofourown.org/users/tevivinter/pseuds/tevivinter): "Come back with me.” with Teia x Viago? :D
> 
> This scene picks up where [I need you to miss me](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27884782) left off.

“Come back with me.”

Teia’s voice lilted upward, but Viago knew it was more a command than a question.

“You know I can’t,” he said, immediately.

“You _can’t_ or you _won’t?”_

For a split second, Viago thought of the lavish room that must await Teia somewhere in the upper floors of her casino. He imagined a table set with fresh flowers and excellent wine. He allowed himself to consider the bed he would find there - spacious and soft, with colorful sheets made of silk. And Teia …

 _No_ , Viago told himself.

He had made it this far, all the way back down the stairs and nearly to the door of the casino. He couldn’t let himself be turned when he was so close.

“Teia-” he began.

“It’s a simple question, Vi.” She stepped closer, cast her eyes down, then back up again. “Or, at least, it could be.”

This - the shy eyes that pretended at naivety - this was her tell. Viago knew Teia was playing with him, poking and prodding to expose a weakness. He knew that what Teia did now was a game, because he’d seen her when she truly wanted him. He remembered all too well the look of those black pupils blown wide so that they all but melted into her dark irises. He’d spent hours tracing the shape of her parted lips in his memory, imagining he could still feel the soft rush of her breath on his fingertips. 

Viago could respect Teia’s artistry, and her talents that had led many men to their deaths. But now that he’d seen the real thing, the imitation paled in comparison.

“Nothing about this is simple, you know that,” he snapped. “The Crows are weaker now than we’ve ever been. With so many of the Talons dead and their replacements still learning their roles, every eye is on those of us who survived the trap on the Verdant Isle. We must be cautious.”

“You do love caution.” Teia tapped a finger on her lips, as if she were thinking deeply. And though he had seen the trick work a dozen times before, Viago still couldn’t stop himself from watching.

“Or maybe,” Teia continued, “it would be more accurate to say you love control.”

Viago saw the almost invisible twitch at the corner of her mouth that spoke to the beginning of a smirk, and the way her eyes focused entirely on his as she readied herself to evaluate his reaction. That he caught all of this easily was worrying. It meant he’d spent too long studying every subtle movement of the muscles of her face. 

It was the sort of attention to detail for which Viago was known - the sort of attention to detail that had become the signature of his assassinations. But a Crow shouldn’t know these sorts of things about another Crow, not unless he was planning to kill her … or, Viago considered, worried about _her_ killing _him._ Theirs was not a life that allowed for the luxury of attachments to anything other than the perfection of their craft and the intimate knowledge of their marks.

“What I do _not_ love is playing the odds,” he said. “This isn’t one of your card games with a House Cantori dealer who has stacked the deck. We can’t give the others a reason to believe alliances are forming that could tilt the balance of power. You and I have already been seen together too often - worked together too closely. Appearances matter, Teia. You, of all people, know this.”

Her eyes narrowed in a way that discredited the sweetness she’d shown before.

“So, no, I can’t come back with you,” Viago finished.

“Because of appearances,” Teia said, arching an eyebrow.

“Yes.” 

“But not because you don’t want to.”

Viago smiled. He’d braced himself for this. Well, he’d tried. His heart was in his throat once again, but at least she hadn’t caught him unprepared this time. He shook his head and turned his back to Teia, taking the last few steps to the casino’s entrance.

“You were close, you know,” he said, when his hand was on the door.

“How close?”

Her voice was too near, and goosebumps rose on his skin as he felt - or thought he felt - her breath whisper across the back of his neck. She’d been on his heels and he had neither heard nor felt her behind him. Was she even better than he’d given her credit for, or was his distraction getting the better of him?

Viago turned and found Teia as close as she could be without touching him. He leaned forward, until his cheek was beside hers.

“Only a breath away,” he whispered into her ear.

He pulled back, his face hovering too close to hers, and saw the truth written in the darkness of her eyes. 

For a moment when Viago thought he’d won.

Then, Teia took a step away from him

“Of course, I defer to your judgment as the senior Talon here,” she said. “We wouldn’t want _anyone_ to get the wrong idea.”

She raised her arms, gesturing to the entirely empty casino with a smirk.

“Goodnight, Teia,” Viago said as he stepped out into the cool night air.

“Goodnight, Vi.”


End file.
